ranks second in the apparel industry. It is mainly
known for sportswear, as in 4-25, and exquisite
“Hollywood”-type evening wear.
The success of many U.S. apparel producers
has also been badly threatened by the great
abundance of imported apparel coming into this
country from foreign manufacturers. Many U.S.
textile and apparel companies are now doing
their manufacturing in foreign countries, where
labor is cheap.
Retailing is located everywhere; it is not
centered in any one part of the country. All types
of retail stores exist in large cities, suburban
malls, and small towns. Mail order retailers send
catalogs to most people’s homes. TV shopping
channels broadcast into consumer homes.
Internet retailers sell products worldwide.
Some national retail companies have stores
throughout the country, such as JCPenney,
Sears, and The Gap, 4-26. In fact, some of
these companies have expanded to also have
stores in other countries. Headquarters for these
companies are in large cities across America.
Other retailers are regionalized and have stores
in only one area of the U.S., such as the Mid-
Atlantic states or the Southwestern states.
Many retail shops are sole proprietorships. They
usually have only one location, possibly in a
small town or resort area.
Many household textile products sold in the
U.S. are made in the Carolinas and Georgia,
as well as in California and New York. Imports
are not as common in household fabrics as in
apparel. The Southern Furniture Market and
Design Center, located in High Point, NC, holds
ongoing furnishing displays representing 1500
manufacturers. Also, it holds major exhibitions
twice a year showing the latest in products,
display techniques, merchandising tools,
and advertising aids for every aspect of the
household textiles products business.
Industrial textiles that are highly specialized
for certain niches are produced in many parts
of the United States. Commodity industrial
textiles, produced in quantity and having multiple
commercial uses, are imported from other
countries around the world.
Textile/apparel trade associations are either
located near Washington, DC, so they can affect
advantageous government action, or they are
near their particular market center. Several
textile trade organizations have offi ces in the
southeastern U.S. Some apparel manufacturing,
retail, and auxiliary group trade organizations
are in New York City or another fashion center.
Trade association directories are usually
published each year that list corporate members
in alphabetical order as well as separate listings
under headings of the major business activities
of that industry segment.
Summing It Up
The fashion channel of distribution, also
known as the soft goods chain or textile/apparel
pipeline, includes the textile, apparel, and retail
segments. It ends with single-item selling at retail
prices to end-use consumers. The four-groups
Kelly B; San Francisco Fashion Week; ©Arun Nevader/WireImage
4-25 California has a strong apparel
manufacturing industry, producing and
selling innovative, high-quality designs.
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